SOUND AND THE FURY

The shadow of Django Reinhardt has hung over all jazz guitarists for nearly 70 years. The idea that someone could play with such remarkable fluidity and grace with only two fully functioning fingers on his left hand elevated Reinhardt from the pantheon of great musicians to something more mystical. Woody Allen even constructed a film, Sweet and Lowdown, around the Reinhardt myth, making the protagonist a 1930s American guitarist who considers himself the best player in the world, except for "some gypsy in France."

Of all the guitarists who have aspired to reach Reinhardt's unmatched heights, Austin's Dave Biller ranks with the best. A burly, bereted presence onstage with his three-piece combo, Biller has shown a facility for playing almost every imaginable form of music. Over the years, he's backed up an intriguing mix of roots musicians, including Wayne Hancock, Dale Watson, the Asylum Street Spankers, and Deke Dickerson. As a frontman, Biller has displayed his Django-esque skills on the CDs Travis County Pickin' and The Hot Guitars of Biller and Wakefield. The Dave Biller Combo will be at Luna (6740 San Pedro) on Saturday, January 17 at 9 p.m. Cover charge is $5.

Another Luna show to look for this weekend is the Friday, January 16 performance by the legendary West Side Horns, arguably the finest horn section to ever come out of this state, and one of San Antonio's finest exponents of uptown blues and old-skool R&B. •